Blue Steel
3/4
Starring: Jamie Lee Curits, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Pena, Louise Fletcher, Philip Bosco, Kevin Dunne, Richard Jenkins
Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence including a Rape, Language and Some Sexuality/Nudity (I guess...)
Can a movie with a script that is beyond silly be redeemed by excellent direction? While I'm of the opinion that any script can work if handled correctly (sometimes it order to work, the script requires the film to be very tongue-in-cheek or extremely warped), it's a rare case when this occurs. "Blue Steel" is a case in point. The film starts off effectively, but the longer it goes on, the sillier it becomes. However, it is very suspenseful and action packed.
Megan Turner (Curtis) is a rookie cop who is forced to gun down a shoplifter (Tom Sizemore in his first film appearance). Because the gun is missing, she can't prove that he was even holding a gun, she can't prove that it wasn't murder. So she's designated to desk duty, but luck comes her way when she meets a charming broker, Eugene Hunt (Silver), who sweeps her off her feet. What Megan doesn't know is that Eugene was in the supermarket on the night of the shooting, and he stole the shoplifter's gun. Now, he's using it to go on a killing spree, and it's up to Megan to take him down.
The performances are solid. Jamie Lee Curtis is good as the rookie cop, although she looks a little old to be doing it and she's a little too well-known to be fully believable. Still, Curtis has always been a solid performer even in the worst of movies (like "Drowning Mona"), and that hasn't changed here. Curtis does all she can to hold the Megan's character together as the plot, and her actions, grow more and more absurd, but eventually it becomes too much for her. She's more credible at the beginning. Likewise, Ron Silver is also good until the material defeats him. As a romantic and a stalker, he's good. But as a violent schizophrenic, he's over-the-top. Clancy Brown is his usual low-key self. Louis Fletcher and Philip Bosco are good as Megan's parents, but the subplot about domestic violence is pretty superfluous, and the conclusion of it is pretty reprehensible considering what some women have to go through. And it's always nice to see Elizabeth Pena on screen. Richard Jenkins is interesting in a small role as Eugene's lawyer because he's actually allowed to show energy (he's usually so low-key that he's comatose).
I wasn't the biggest fan of "The Hurt Locker," the 2008 hit that made Kathryn Bigelow the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar. I thought it was overlong and very overrated (for me, the clear winner was "Avatar," which was directed by her ex-husband, James Cameron). But with her third film, "Blue Steel," she shows that she knows what she's doing. The action sequences are loud, violent and packed with adrenaline and suspense.
As a film, "Blue Steel" is lacking. However, as a set piece for superbly crafted action sequences, it's worth seeing.
Starring: Jamie Lee Curits, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Pena, Louise Fletcher, Philip Bosco, Kevin Dunne, Richard Jenkins
Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence including a Rape, Language and Some Sexuality/Nudity (I guess...)
Can a movie with a script that is beyond silly be redeemed by excellent direction? While I'm of the opinion that any script can work if handled correctly (sometimes it order to work, the script requires the film to be very tongue-in-cheek or extremely warped), it's a rare case when this occurs. "Blue Steel" is a case in point. The film starts off effectively, but the longer it goes on, the sillier it becomes. However, it is very suspenseful and action packed.
Megan Turner (Curtis) is a rookie cop who is forced to gun down a shoplifter (Tom Sizemore in his first film appearance). Because the gun is missing, she can't prove that he was even holding a gun, she can't prove that it wasn't murder. So she's designated to desk duty, but luck comes her way when she meets a charming broker, Eugene Hunt (Silver), who sweeps her off her feet. What Megan doesn't know is that Eugene was in the supermarket on the night of the shooting, and he stole the shoplifter's gun. Now, he's using it to go on a killing spree, and it's up to Megan to take him down.
The performances are solid. Jamie Lee Curtis is good as the rookie cop, although she looks a little old to be doing it and she's a little too well-known to be fully believable. Still, Curtis has always been a solid performer even in the worst of movies (like "Drowning Mona"), and that hasn't changed here. Curtis does all she can to hold the Megan's character together as the plot, and her actions, grow more and more absurd, but eventually it becomes too much for her. She's more credible at the beginning. Likewise, Ron Silver is also good until the material defeats him. As a romantic and a stalker, he's good. But as a violent schizophrenic, he's over-the-top. Clancy Brown is his usual low-key self. Louis Fletcher and Philip Bosco are good as Megan's parents, but the subplot about domestic violence is pretty superfluous, and the conclusion of it is pretty reprehensible considering what some women have to go through. And it's always nice to see Elizabeth Pena on screen. Richard Jenkins is interesting in a small role as Eugene's lawyer because he's actually allowed to show energy (he's usually so low-key that he's comatose).
I wasn't the biggest fan of "The Hurt Locker," the 2008 hit that made Kathryn Bigelow the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar. I thought it was overlong and very overrated (for me, the clear winner was "Avatar," which was directed by her ex-husband, James Cameron). But with her third film, "Blue Steel," she shows that she knows what she's doing. The action sequences are loud, violent and packed with adrenaline and suspense.
As a film, "Blue Steel" is lacking. However, as a set piece for superbly crafted action sequences, it's worth seeing.
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